Museum farewell competition on the cards

A PLAYING card company is holding a competition to say farewell to the River & Rowing Museum, which is set to close its doors next month.

Ace Places Playing Cards is asking people to submit their “fondest memories” of the museum to be in with a chance of winning a supersized, mounted version of the museum’s card from its Henley Playing Cards.

The cards, launched by businesswoman Emma Sweet two years ago, feature illustrated designs of landmarks in the town, including the Cheesy Grape, the Scoop Room, Henley Royal Regatta and the Regal Picturehouse and St Mary’s Church.

To win the mounted card, participants will need to share what they will miss most about the museum, or their favourite memory.

The card features an illustration of the museum on the Five of Clubs, with Ratty and Mr Toad rowing in the river in the foreground as a nod to the museum’s Wind in the Willows exhibition.

Entrants will need to follow the museum and Ace Places on Instagram or Facebook and either share their memory in the comments on their competition post or by using an online form on the Ace Places website.

The prize has a retail value of £45 and has been mounted by David Meadowcroft at the Picture Framer in Wargrave.

Ms Sweet said: “We know how much the River & Rowing Museum has meant to Henley and to families, visitors, and generations of locals.

“This felt like a genuine way to say thank you, share stories, and send it off with love.”

The museum, which was officially opened by the late Queen Elizabeth II in 1998, will have its last day on Sunday, September 21.

Its trustees announced in July that, having recorded a £1m loss in the financial year ending in March, the “extremely difficult” decision had been made to close.

To enter, visit the Ace Adventures section on www.aceplaces.co.uk before Sunday, September 14.